God our Father – Family Worship Center Devotionals

Stressed out? You need a drink.

Disappointed? You need a drink.

Unfulfilled? You need a drink.

No, I’m not talking about the drinks that come by way of a neon sign and a frosty glass. Not a pretty colored drink with a tiny umbrella either.

The drink I’m talking about is much stronger.

In a really familiar story from the gospel of John we see Jesus having a conversation at a well with a Samaritan woman. (It’s important to note that at this particular time, the Jews and the Samaritans were hostile towards each other’s cultural and religious practices. So this interaction between Jesus and this woman is a huge deal!)

Jesus and the Samaritan woman have a casual conversation about needing a drink of water from the well. Jesus tells her if she knew who he really was she would be asking HIM for a drink! The absurdity right??

Jesus says in John 4:13-14

“If you drink from Jacob’s well, you’ll be thirsty again, but if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never be thirsty again. For when you drink the water I give you, it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit, flooding you with endless life!”

Imagine never thirsting again? Imagine the freedom that comes with that? Imagine living in such a way that no matter what your circumstance or situation you are satisfied.

It’s possible friend.

The reason we live stressed out, disappointed, and unfulfilled is simply because we search for our thirst to be quenched in unsustainable sources.

Your spouse isn’t a sustainable source. But wait, isn’t it my husband’s or my wife’s job to make me happy? Nope. Marriage is meant to make you holy, not happy. It’s meant to be treated as a covenant not a cup.

Your kids can’t be where your fulfillment comes from either. And all the parents say “But my kids are my life”! Well..they’re not meant to be! Making your kids the well you draw from isn’t fair or attainable for them. Kids (yes, those perfect little angels..) will unintentionally disappoint you at some point in life.

Your relationships (dating, friendships) are not meant to keep you going either. People are messy! People aren’t perfect! Relationships are complicated. They can be on track one day, and a complete rollercoaster the next day. Trying to pull from that well will always lead to hurt.

Jesus offered the Samaritan woman a drink from a never-ending supply of goodness and grace. A sustainable source that when consumed becomes a flood of abundant life. And her response is yes.

Why?

Because she was tired of being stressed out, disappointed, and unfulfilled by the other sources she was trying to draw from.

“The woman replied, “Let me drink that water so I’ll never be thirsty again and won’t have to come back here to draw water” John 4:15

Quit going back to what hurt you over and over again. Quit putting pressure on those closest to you. Quit searching for that quick, easy fix. Quit running back to that well that will run dry.

Instead, respond to Jesus with a ,“Yes, I want what you offer Lord”. Let me find my fulfillment in you”.

Jesus is waiting to meet you at that dry well you’re at. He’s waiting there with a drink that will overflow with peace, mercy, love, and kindness. A drink that will never, ever run dry.

If you read that title in your best Darth Vader voice, you are my kind of people. We are HUGE Star Wars fans in our household and every summer we re-watch the trilogies for family movie night. One of the most iconic moments in the whole saga is when the evil Darth Vader reveals that he is indeed Jedi in training Luke Skywalker’s father. Luke’s entire sense of self comes crashing down and he’s left with more questions than answers about who he really is.

In response, Luke lets out a perfect cinematic scream of “NOOOOOOOOOOOO! That’s impossible”! Talk about some family drama? If you know anything about Star Wars you know this Skywalker family has got some MAJOR issues that stretches across decades and many generations.

(If I just happened to ruin this entire movie series for you, my deepest most sincere apologies but it’s for a good reason I promise! Hang with me!)

As we enter into our May series that is all about families, I can’t help but think of all the times I have let out my own yell of “NOOOOOO” and “That’s impossible”, at the expense of my own family issues. Anyone else been there?

Family, no matter what it looks like, is difficult to navigate. Things are always changing, always shifting. What was ok yesterday is not ok today. What we said last week doesn’t mean anything this week. What worked last month isn’t making any difference this month. It can feel like an intense game of tug of war where one minute you’re pulling that rope with ease and the next your face first in the mud with no idea how you even got there.

Here’s the really good news though.

God doesn’t change.

His ways are solid. His ways are steady. His ways are trustworthy.

David asks God this exact thing when he says:

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground”. Psalm 143:10 NIV

No matter if you’re single, engaged, married, divorced, widowed. No matter if you’re a whole family, a step-family, a blended family. Whether you have one child, 10 children, no children. Whether you have been married for less than a year or married for 20 plus years…God wants your household built on the solid foundation of Christ. All other ways are unstable and fleeting.

See, you may change. Your family may change. Your ideas of family may change. But God has never changed.

The God that brought Ruth to Boaz is the same today. (Ruth 4:13-16)

The God that gave Sarah a baby is the same today. (Genesis 21:1-3)

The God that brought redemption to Joseph’s family is the same today. (Genesis 45:1-28)

The God that brought the prodigal son home is the same today. (Luke 15:11-24)

The God that restored Gomer to Hosea is the same today. (Hosea 3:1-5)

The God that transformed Saul to Paul is the same today. (Acts 9:1-19)

The God that forgave the adulterous woman is the same today. (John 8: 1-11)

God is at work telling a story of restoration, redemption, and miracles through your family. No matter what that family may look like in your current phase of life. Don’t buy into the lie that you need to have it all together or be the “right kind of family” for God to use it. Instead choose to believe that Gods foundation is steady, safe, and secure. Choose to believe that He is for you and your family. That his ways are better than yours. That everything else you may try and build your life on is sinking sand.

God is saying to you today, that you matter to him. That you are his precious child. That he cares deeply for you. He longs for a relationship with you.

How do I know that?

Because God also said, “I am your Father”.

And He’s really good at being a Father to you and your whole family.